Which lens to buy?

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universalady

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I have just purchased a Canon 550d with the standard lens. However I would like to get a lens which will enable me to shoot a moving subject from about 20 - 40 foot away. I will be buying a second hand one, probably on ebay, but what should I be looking for? Di I need to be looking at the .mm range?
 
It depends how big your subject is and how you want to frame the subject within in the image.

If you're photographing a very large subject 30' away you would need a "shorter" lens (smaller number of mm) than if you were photographing a small subject the same distance away - assuming you wanted them both to take up the same amount of space in the photo.

I suspect you're going to want to be looking at something like the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS or one of the various 70-300mm lenses.

With a lens set to 250mm on your camera something 30' that was 2' 8" wide and 1' 9" tall would fill the frame.
 
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Hi, I will be taking pics of dogs running round the ring at dog shows, so I'll have a look at these lens, thanks
 
As Darren says, the 55-250 is a cracker and is a great one to pair with the 18-55 as long as you're happy to swap lenses when necessary.
What sort of budget do you have?
 
I don't really have a budget yet, as I say, I thought I'd get a 2nd hand one so I can just have a play around and learn from there, but as I take ALOT of doggy pics, and I would really like to get some nice clear ones of them on the move. I'm not worried about swapping lens's as & when. But looking at lens on different sites, confuses me as to what I should be looking for
 
This one was taken with the 55-250 @ 109mm, I know she's stood still but it gives you an idea of the image quality.

Sally by Wozzaaah, on Flickr

Used price is around £110-130 so an absolute steal! :thumbs:
 
Depending on how the dogs are moving around it might be worth looking at the Canon EF 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 USM (not to be confused with the 70-210mm f/4 or the 70-200mm lenses). The reason I say that is because the 55-250mm lens has "normal" autofocus while the 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 USM has the much faster USM autofocus.
I bought one because my previous non-USM lens wasn't ideal for keeping up with moving cars.

The 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 USM has been discontinued for a long while but if you're looking at buying second hand that doesn't matter, they come up on eBay every now and again for around £120 though the only buy it now listing on there at the moment is £144.99.
It's Item Number 320902584894.
 
The autofocus on the 55-250 is no slouch.
I agree it's not as good (or quiet) as a ring USM but it's plenty fast enough.

Thanks btw, she's my in-laws dog and yes, she's a very pretty thing.
I'll try and find (or take) some shots of my dogs running around using the 55-250, greyhound and staffy x so pretty active! :lol:
 
I bought the wife an 18-135 IS as a partner for her Sigma 120-400, so she doesn't need her 18-55 IS and 55-250 IS and they've since gone up to the spares case. Not sure if I'm selling them and my 50 1.8 though, but I'm looking for a 35 f2 or an 85 f1.8, so thinking of either a swap or a sale. I bought the 55-250 IS a few months ago and when the wife saw how good it was and how light it is she comandeered it, so I've only used it twice. It's a very good, sharp lens though, just a shame it wont go on my 5D3.
 
universalady said:
I have just purchased a Canon 550d with the standard lens. However I would like to get a lens which will enable me to shoot a moving subject from about 20 - 40 foot away. I will be buying a second hand one, probably on ebay, but what should I be looking for? Di I need to be looking at the .mm range?
Click to expand...

What's your budget ?

Do you just have the 18-55IS lens ?

The lenses that have already been recommended are good and well worth a look ...
 
I've ordered my new dslr, a Canon 550d, and it'll come with the standard 18-55mm, so I guess I'd like to spend around £100 on a second hand lens. I'll keep my eye on the 55 - 250mm, hopefully I'll be able to get one on ebay at a good price
 
The listing on ebay that you have seen is perfect for you. I've bought quite a few things including a 7D and lenses from Digigood and can highly recommend them. They are very reliable and give fast delivery. Unfortunately, the listing has now ended but you can search their other items for similar lenses or hang on until you can get onto the classified section.
 
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